Plants, fungi, and microorganisms are equipped with biosynthesis machinery for producing thousands of secondary metabolites. These compounds have important functions in nature as a defence against predators or competitors as well as other ecological significances. The full utilization of these compounds for food, medicine, and other purposes requires a thorough understanding of their structures and the distinct biochemical pathways of their production in cellular systems. In this review, flavonoids as classical examples of secondary metabolites are employed to highlight recent advances in understanding how valuable compounds can be regulated at various levels. With extensive diversity in their chemistry and pharmacology, understanding the metabolic engineering of flavonoids now allows us to fine-tune the eliciting of their production, accumulation, and extraction from living systems. More specifically, recent advances in the shikimic acid and acetate biosynthetic pathways of flavonoids production from metabolic engineering point of view, from genes expression to multiple principles of regulation, are addressed. Specific examples of plants and microorganisms as the sources of flavonoids-based compounds with particular emphasis on therapeutic applications are also discussed.

植物，真菌和微生物配备了生物合成设备，可产生数千种次级​​代谢产物。这些化合物在自然界中具有重要的功能，可以防御天敌或竞争对手，并具有其他生态意义。这些化合物在食品，药物和其他目的中的充分利用需要对它们的结构以及在细胞系统中生产的独特生化途径有透彻的了解。在本综述中，类黄酮作为次生代谢产物的经典实例被用于突显了解如何在各种水平上调节有价值的化合物的最新进展。由于其化学和药理学方面的多样性，因此了解类黄酮的代谢工程使我们可以微调其产生，积累，和从生命系统中提取。更具体地说，从代谢工程学的观点，从基因表达到多种调控原理，研究了黄酮类化合物的sh草酸和乙酸生物合成途径的最新进展。还讨论了植物和微生物作为类黄酮类化合物来源的具体实例，并特别强调了治疗应用。